Resilient sheet material



June 5, 1956 s, D. MENZIES ET AL 2,748,448

RESILIENT SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb. 24, 1953 QSTEWAET D. MENZ/ES,

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Arroe/vsy RESILIENT SHEET MATERIAL Stewart D. Menzies, Manhattan Beach, and Raymond S. Nogler, Pasadena, Calif.

Application February 24, 1953, Serial No. 338,188

2 Claims. (Cl. 28--78) This invention pertains to new articles of manufacture and commerce and is particularly directed to a novel sheet material capable of being used as a furniture covering or as floor rugs, the sheet material being resilient, long-wearing and capable of being produced in a great variety of predetermined patterns from materials of controlled quality and type.

So-called rag rugs, generally composed of small pieces of cloth sewn together into strips, the strips braided and the braid being then arranged to occupy a flat plane by placing adjacent lays of the braid in proximity to each other and then stitching the assembly together, have been made for many years and are extremely popular in many homes because of the colonial motif or connotation of such rugs. These so-called rag rugs are not particularly satisfactory, however, because they are not long-wearing, they have a tendency to slough oif considerable quantities of lint, they have a tendency a disintegrate and they are either very loosely woven and as a result formless, or When tightly braided and stitched together, such rugs have substantially no resiliency. Another disadvantage lies in the difliculty of manufacturing such rugs on a large scale because of the many hand operations required and the dangerous dusting and linting conditions encountered during manufacture. A still further disadvantage of such prior rag rugs lies in the impossibility of producing predetermined color changes and patterns and the virtual impossibility of controlling the quality, type or character of the waste materials normally used in the manufacture of such rugs.

Reference is made to rag rugs herein because when the product of the instant invention is used in the manufacture of rugs, the resulting product resembles the rag rug to a minor extent only. It is believed that the article of commerce forming the subject matter of the present invention is new, novel and readily distinguishable by its appearance and characteristics as well as its mode of manufacture from prior rag rugs.

Generally stated, the present invention contemplates a sheet material adapted for use as a furniture covering or floor rug comprising a series of connected adjacent lays of a continuous strip of knitted tubular stock, said continuous strip being provided with a centrally disposed, cylindrical, resilient and flexible core having a cellular sponge rubber composition interior, said core exerting an expansive force upon the knitted tubular stock whereby the latter is under circumferential and longitudinal tension. The adjacent lays of such continuous strip are suitably stitched or connected so that the entire assembly is in the form of a relatively large sheet of material capable of being used as a rug.

It will be evident that the article herein disclosed has numerous advantages. Since the external covering of the continuous core is actually knitted therearound, the quality, character, type and coloring of the knitted covering can be accurately controlled. By varying the color of the yarns used in knitting the tubular stock in a desired and predetermined progression longitudinally of the connited States Patent tinuous strip, a predetermined pattern may be obtained when the strip is arranged in connected and adjacent lays. For this reason, in the event floor rugs are being manufactured, predetermined and identical patterns and rugs may be made whereas this is not capable of attainment by other methods. Furthermore, by selecting the yarns and controlling the character of the fibers employed (w tether wool, cotton, synthetic fibers or the like) different textures, wearing characteristics, etc. maybe controllably attained. Moreover, the rugs of the present invention are resilient and long-wearing; by controlling the characteristics of the sponge rubber employed in the continuous strip, the resiliency or softness of the rugs may be regulated. In addition, variations may be attained in that the diameter of the core may vary and the continuous strip may either be a single substantially tubular or cylindrical strip or such strips of smaller diameter, each covered with its knitted tubular stock, may be braided and the braid then arranged to form a series of adjacent lays which are connected together by suitable stitching.

It is an object of the present invention therefore to disclose and provide a new article of manufacture or commerce.

Another object is to disclose and provide a sheet material adapted for use as a furniture covering, upholstery fabric or floor rug.

Again, it is an object of the invention to disclose and provide a method of producing sheet material adapted for use as upholstery fabric or floor rug wherein preformed cellular sponge rubber composition is used to impart resiliency to the material and various yarns, knitted around such cellular sponge rubber composition are employed to impart desired coloring, texture, pattern and wearing characteristics to the product.

These and various other objects, advantage-s and modifications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of methods whereby the product may be made. In the appended drawings:

Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a method of manufacturing the continuous strip material which is utilized in making the sheet material.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of such continuous strip.

Fig. 3 illustrates the manner in which a sheet material of rectilinear form may be made.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken along the plane IVIV in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of an oval rug made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section through a portion of such rug indicating the arrangement which may be employed when braids of continuous strip material are used.

Knitting machines capable of knitting tubular stock are well-known and it is deemed unnecessary to describe the machines in detail since they do not form a part of the present invention. Sufiiceth to say that machines of the type shown in Patents Nos. 1,814,324, 1,947,302 and 2,016,870 are illustrative of knitting machines capable of forming the external tubular stock hereinafter referred to. It is to be further understood that two or more knitting needles may be used in forming the tubular stock, three to five needles being ordinarily sufficient for the relatively small diameter tubing customarily employed. The tubing or cellular core here employed may be from about onequarter inch to one inch in diameter so as to permit the tubing, with its external surfacing of knitted stock, to be stitched together in adjacent lays to form a rug.

In producing the continuous strip of material employed in the manufacture of the rugs or upholstery fabrics, a supply reel 14} carrying a cylindrical core stock made of cellular resilient sponge-like rubber composition continuously feeds such core stock 11 through the center of a tubular knitting machine 12, the core stock being preferably maintained under tension during the knitting operation. The product discharged from the knitting machine and indicated at 13 consists of the core stock carrying an external tubular knitted stock surfacing. Fig. 2 more clearly illustrates the resilient core 11 and the knitted covering 14. The core may have a central portion 16 which is porous, cellular and spongy; the cells may be intercommunicating or they may be individually separate and unconnected. The external surface of the core 11 may be patterned (w :ere the cells or cavities of the interior are exposed) or such surface may be smooth and virtually continuous and noncellular; the latter type is preferred. Spongy core materials of the character here described are manufactured by known methods from natural rubber compositions, latex and synthetic rubbers.

When the knitted covering has been formed while the central core has been under tension, the finished product has certain desirable characteristics in that upon release of the tension on the core (which tension has first reduced the cross-sectional area of such core) an expansive force is exerted by the core upon the surrounding knitted tubular stock w rereby the latter is placed under circumferential and longitudinal tension. This tension is not great but it imparts a stability to the continuous strip, facilitates subsequent handling of the strip in the manufacture of fabrics and rugs therefrom, and permits the tubular knitted stock to be treated with greater facility, as for example, when it is desired to raise a nap on the fabric.

it is to be understood that during the formation of the continuous strip 13, various predetermined changes can be made in the coloring of the yarn supplied to the machine so that predetermined progressive changes in color, shade or tone may take place longitudinally of the strip 13. This permits positive control of color patterns formed in the ultimate product and blending of tones can thus be obtained and predetermined patterns formed whereas it was impossible so to do in prior methods of manufacture.

When it is desired to form a fabric, the continuous strip 13 may be used in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3 wherein such strip is placed upon a fiat bed with its lays 21, 22, 23, 24, etc. in adjacent relation, each lay being substantially of the same length. The adjacent lays such as lays 21 and 22 are then suitably connected or stitched together. Zigzag stitching machines or fagoting machines may be employed. If desired, a layer of woven fabric may be applied to one surface of the sheet of material made from the adjacent lays so as to give such material a backing. It will be evident that thosefskilled in the art can readily utilize the continuous strip 13 in any desired manner. At all events, the resulting sheet material is characterized by presenting a surface made of adjacent, virtually tubular knitted stock and a central core made of resilient cellular sponge-like material which imparts the highly deesirable softness, give and resiliency to the product.

Fig. 5 illustrates an oval-type of floor rug wherein the continuous strip material is arranged in adjacent lays. Each of these continuous strips, however, may be made of three smaller strips, each having a resilient rubber composition core and a tubular knitted surfacing, each of the braids being then stitched or connected to its adjacent lays or strips as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein the strips 26, 27 and 28 constitute one braid and the strips 26, 27 and 28' constitute the adjacent braid. In stitching or connecting the adjacent lays together, it is desirable to pass the connecting thread only through the material which forms the knitted tubular stock, but no damage is done in the event the needle or thread passes through the resilient core.

From the description given hereinabove, numerous advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art and many adaptations, uses and modifications will readily occur. All changes and modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

We claim:

1. As an article of commerce, a floor rug comprising: a series of connected adjacent lays of a continuous strip, said strip being composed of a plurality of braided elements, each element consisting of a cylindrical, resilient and flexible core having a cellular spongy and resilient interior and a knitted tubular fibrous stock as an external covering on such core.

2. The article of commerce as stated in claim 1 wherein each external knitted tubular covering varies in color in a predetermined progression longitudinally.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 

